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Jamiroquai: Return of the Space Cowboy

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Sony Music Entertainement
Released: 1995
Time:
 71:57
Category: Acis Jazz
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *******... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.jamiroquai.co.uk
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2002.03.27
Price in €: 6,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Space Cowboy (J.Kay) - 6:25
[2] Stillness in Time (J.Kay/T.Smith) - 4:15
[3] Half the Man (J.Kay/T.Smith) - 4:48
[4] Light Years (J.Kay/T.Smith) - 5:53
[5] Manifest Destiny (J.Kay/T.Smith) - 6:19
[6] Kids (J.Kay/T.Smith) - 5:08
[7] Mr. Moon (J.Kay/T.Smith/S.Zender) - 5:28
[8] Scam (J.Kay/T.Smith/S.Zender) - 7:00
[9] Journey to Arnhemland (W.Buchanan/J.Kay/T.Smith) - 5:19
[10] Morning Glory (J.Kay/S.Zender) - 6:21
[11] Just Another Story (J.Kay/S.Zender) - 8:45
[12] Light Years [live] (J.Kay/T.Smith) - 6:16

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


JASON KAY - Arranger, Producer, Engineer
DERRICK - Drums
TOBY SMITH - Keyboards
STUART ZENDER - Bass
WALLIS - Didjeridu, Vibraphone

MARTIN HARRISON - Mixing
MIKE NIELSEN - Producer, Engineer
AL STONE - Engineer, Mixing
CHRIS NASH - Photography
EDDIE MONSOON - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1995 CD Columbia 66982
1995 LP Columbia 66982
1995 CS Columbia 66982
1995 CD S2 477813



Jason Kay's dead-on Stevie Wonder impersonation drives the acid-jazz and funky R&B of Jamiroquai. He takes on social issues such as homelessness and Native Americans' rights. A good album, but constant tempo changes keep the groove from flowing.

John Bush, All-Music Guide, © 1992 - 2002 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



At the time of this album, Jamiroquai's second, Britain's soul-funk-acid jazz scene had been firmly established by numerous club DJs and bands like Soul II Soul, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, and Young Disciples. Jamiroquai formed their own voice with strong songwriting, tight ensemble playing, and--most of all--Jay Kay's fluid vocals, which are impressively reminiscent of Stevie Wonder's. As the band's main songwriter, Kay addresses social ills ("Just Another Story," "Manifest Destiny"), advocates enlightenment ("Stillness in Time," "Light Years"), and leads his multiculti band through love songs both bubble-gum funky ("Mr. Moon") and jazzy sweet ("Half the Man"). Unabashedly mixing disco into their funky soul, Jamiroquai even make cheesy synths sound good.

Suzanne McElfresh, Amazon.com



Jamiroquai have soundly established themselves as a name synonymous with the summer breeze sound they've claimed as their own. Space Cowboy is no exception, as the salsa jazz-fusion buzzes wistfully and harmoniously through every track on the album. Following the path laid out in Emergency On Planet Earth, this second album catapulted the band into stardom and left front man Jay Kay dancing to songs of admiration as the first self-appointed Space Cowboy. The title track epitomises the essence of big band dance music with a funky fresh vibe of feel good energy and toe-tapping excitement. Although the album lacks any big surprises, the definitive Jamiroquai sound captures mind, body and soul, making it difficult for any music lover to ignore.

David Trueman, Amazon.co.uk Review



What the Critics Say...

The Source (4/95, p.84) - "...THE RETURN OF THE SPACE COWBOY is a mixture of acid jazz-like keyboards with an overlay of bright horns and hard basslines....This group may still be light years ahead of the hip-hop world..."

Rolling Stone (3/23/95, p.125) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...Jason Kay is a wonderfully nimble singer with a Stevie Wonder jones, and Jamiroquai parlay jazzy soul pop so tight it crackles....Nowadays, when most funk comes out of cans, Jamiroquai's live spark glows..."

Musician (6/95, p.76) - "...sounds like a bastard spawn of Stevie Wonder and Mandrill with its vintage keyboards, jazz harmonies and fondness for rambling, jam-oriented arrangements..."

Entertainment Weekly (3/10/95, p.68) - "...No idle nostalgia broker, Jamiroquai is a funk-making machine with a bright future in the past..." - Rating: B+



If this record had been released in 1976 it would have been a formidable counterpart to records like Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life. But here in the pre-packaged `90s, the label "funk/soul revivalist" will probably overshadow this explosive little shiny disc by the head-dressed Jamiroquai. His second album, The Return Of The Space Cowboy, goes beyond simply slapping together funk beats and soulful melodies; Jamiroquai achieves a spiritual tone within his music, instilling these 11 cuts with personality, covering sentimental feelings on the enrapturing "Half The Man" and empathizing with the struggle for racial equality on "Manifest Destiny," on which Jamiroquai glides through velvety, Marvin Gaye-inspired lyrics. His four-piece band is meticulous, bringing out every little nuance within the music, and often adds ethereal funk seasonings ("Journey To Arnhemland"), or big, disco strings ("Scam") that keep these tracks refreshingly seductive. On "The Kids," a swirling guitar buzz and blood-pumping rhythms back lyrics designed to empower the younger generation, while the light jazz texture and dim, misty feel applied to "Morning Glory" is as picturesque as the morning's first strand of sunlight. This follow-up to Emergency On Planet Earth is a giant step in the development of an artist masterfully recreating a vibe that many thought was long dead and forgotten. Also ride: "Just Another Story," "Stillness In Time" and "Mr. Moon."

Glen Sansone: CMJ New Music Report Issue: 411 - Jan 23, 1995
© 1978-2002 College Media, Inc., Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Jay Kaye is back, following up his much lauded 1993 debut Emergency On Planet Earth. This time he's left the earthly for the lunar, but the results are still the same. Once again, Jay sings with the appealing urgency that evokes a reaction from the pit of your stomach. It seems he's spent the two-year break in between albums studying his patron saint, Stevie Wonder, because the classic live funk sound that he touched upon last time is further refined here. In an age where many of his contemporaries rely on digital sounds, Jamiroquai still benefits from the authenticity of the live horns, drums, and guitars (both bass and wah-wah) that are the backbone of the tracks. That said, there's a smattering of modern technology in the vinyl scratching and synthesizer noodlings that occasionally pop up. Though The Return Of The Space Cowboy has some shining moments that claim its individuality-the didgeridoo-laden groove of "Journey to Arnhemland" and Jay's belting vocal on "Light Years" come to mind-it seems almost like an unnecessary afterthought to the completeness of Emergency On Planet Earth.

© 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 1978-2002 College Media, Inc., Inc. All Rights Reserved.



If folks can see past the superficial comparisons to Stevie Wonder that people hurl his way, Jason Kay's Jamiroquai could be the band that proves that funky soul music is more than just a trend or a fad, but a reawakening of cultural and aesthetic values dormant during the long sleep of the Reagan '80s. The English combo's second album, The Return Of The Space Cowboy is one trippy, jazzy, soulful affair. It's also topical, honest, enlightening and empowering-basically it's everything that funk and soul stands for, a mingling of beats, vibes and message. The care and attention to detail that went into the album unfold like lotus petals, making Return increasingly rewarding with repeated listenings: "Just Another Story" takes a full three minutes to take shape, evolving from a hazy, mellow jam into a full-fledged song affirming Jay Kay's Stevie Wonder influence even as he steps away from it; then there's the warm, sunny rays of "Half The Man," pieced together with care and sophistication to achieve near-perfection. Sure, Jamiroquai may take bits and pieces of classic soul and funk music and reshuffle them, but the group takes just the right bits. The truth is, the sun has never felt this warm, the leaves have never seemed this green, and it's a rare record that fills listeners with such warmth and makes them glad to call this lump of rock home.

© 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 1978-2002 College Media, Inc., Inc. All Rights Reserved.



"Have you ever been light years away from what you wanna be, who you wanna be?" asks Stevie Wonder sound-alike Jay K of British acid-jazz band Jamiroquai in the song "Light Years." Keyboards, bass and percussion back him with a booty shakin', bass-thumpin' funk groove. Then, the mood becomes more sultry as horns blow a cascading refrain. "Now I got that sunshine in my life," exults the frontman.
Jamiroquai (said jam-EAR-uh-kwhy -- the handle is a combination of the word jam and the name of the Native American tribe, Iroquois) is one of Britain's most popular bands. That's never a guarantee of quality, but this time those fickle Brits are on to something. The Return of the Space Cowboy, the group's second album, is 72 minutes of smokin', vaguely spiritual funk interrupted by one blissful ballad, "Half the Man." Wonder himself hasn't written anything this satisfying in years.

Though Wonder's influence is heard all over this album -- along with Earth, Wind & Fire and P-Funk -- it's not completely derivative. Unusual samples and repetitive, mesmerizing beats derived from house music are in most tracks. The five minute instrumental "Journey to Arnhemland" takes a cue from world music by featuring the didgeridoo, an Aboriginal horn that sounds something like being in a car that's passing over grooved pavement.

The arrangements of such diverse sounds are a musical feast for the ears. Every jazzy horn part, tricky drum fill, complex bass riff -- indeed every musical element -- is thought out and played with perfection.

Faith Quintavell - September 1, 1995
Music Wire



A freaky white frontman tripping on star power. A salt-'n'-pepper Brit combo copping licks from '70s stateside R&B. Sound like a Culture Club for the '90s? Close enough. Jason Kay is a wonderfully nimble singer with a Stevie Wonder jones, and Jamiroquai parlay jazzy soul pop so tight, it crackles. Trailing clouds of hype, they dazzle on The Return of the Space Cowboy, proving that tons of swagger and a gift for irresistible hooks need not daunt the open-minded. Let cynics wince at the up-with-people spirit of "The Kids," the astromysticism of "Mr. Moon," the protest politics of "Manifest Destiny." Nowadays, when most funk comes out of cans, Jamiroquai's live spark glows. And any band that can recall both Roberta Flack and Weather Report is something else.

PAUL EVANS - RS 704
© Copyright 2002 RollingStone.com



Jamiroquai's sophomore record had all the slinky grooves and great musicianship of the debut, but it also offered a better set of songs and more ambitious musical themes. As with Emergency on Planet Earth, Jason Kay's dead-on impression of Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone drives the group's blend of acid jazz and funky R&B. "Space Cowboy" and "Light Years" were hits all over the world, and made the band stars in Europe and Japan, while substantial clubplay earned them a degree of recognition for American audiences. But Jamiroquai refused to be known as simply a party band; the group takes on social issues such as homelessness and Native Americans' rights.

John Bush - All Music Guide
 

 L y r i c s


JUST ANOTHER STORY

Nobody make a move
This kid's got you covered
He was just seventeen
Trying to get on like his dead brother
Mama couldn't do a thing for him
Though she hurt inside
And daddy wants his son back
While he knows he's still alive.

Stick up kid
Thinking you're a glory boy
Fronting that stupid toy
But you don't get that it's yourself you will destroy
Running that rock on the frontline
Get to hell before your time
If you your face on the cover of High Times
Push in.

Now it occured to me
As I awoke from deeper dreams
All this evolution
And still I don't know what it means
And it gets so hard for me to change
When there's an easy way to earn
Why should I work my fingers to the bone.

Can you give more than get
Get down
With a conscious train of thought.

Light years
Can pass me by without me realising
I'm water in a stream
But ya got to keep it clean.

Dirty dreams
Purity.

How can
So many people think they're right when
Everybody's wrong?


STILLNESS IN TIME

There's a stillness in time
Which I cannot define
Does your heart bleed like mine
For a place we can go
Where the troubles of our time are far away
And I had all my life in front of me
Now my darkness days are trouble free
There's no place where I could rather be
Than this journey of discovery.

I found love in that way
And I'm never sad, and I'm always glad
Anything you give me today
I will be thankful for
People find it hard to be strong
Cos they don't know where they're coming from
There was nothing let to do but hang on
For a stillness in time.

If you find that something's going wrong
Look around at what you're running from
There are so many wondrous things for you to see
If this world is turning too fast for your head
Just remember how bad times can roll instead
You can wait a thousand years in line
For that stillness in time.


HALF THE MAN

Yesterday I was
Half the man I used to be
Oh, maybe that's because
You're the other helf of me
Like the spring in bloom
The summer of our love is soon
Every bird will sing
The melody of our love tune.

Send down from above
Unconditionally love
Likened to a flower
Stronger love grows by the hour
Stormy weather days
Make us go our separate ways
Where our love was so at ease
Now you got me down on my knees.

Yesterday I was
Brighter than the morning sun
Now my love is lost
And lonely days have just begun
A solitary chair
For a silent love affair
A king lost his throne
And now he sits alone.


LIGHT YEARS

People tell me I'm no good
Cos I'm expressin' all my sentiments
Now I got to channel all my vehemence
For the benefit of my self defence
And you can be a do gooder
But true sincerity ain't charity
It can take a life time to be
How you wanna be.

You can be light years
Away from serious intention
And I thought I knew it all
Someday
I'd get to turn mankind
This way
If you don't know you can be light years
Away from your true destination. No conscious escalation
Until I get with good vibration
I'm never gonna get to use that
use that earthly power
Substitutes
Can never take the place of peace of mind
Losing all sense of direction.

When you're light years.
Too far away to turn you back on substitution
There is no u-turn on a one way route
Goin' up when I learn to love the life I can bite the fruit
Now I got sunshine in my life.

Light years
Never to return to Babylon
See money don't make a man
But if you really want you get there anyway you can.


MANIFEST DESTINY

Four hundred years or more
Since you came to crucify
They were taken far from home
There were promises of paradise
But if they had been told that day
They would be told that this way
To satisfy the souls of chosen men
See I had to look carefully
At the same of my ancestry
To re-define the story line again.

If I was taken for a day
And shown another day
Every child can learn a different thing
See I tried a million times
But I had to change my mind
Sadness was the best thing I could bring
On the inside he was dead and this is what he said
As he took away the bloom above the clouds
Superiority was clearly meant to be
So destiny will manifest in time.

So where has the love all gone
A troubled trail of tears will tell the take
Of how I was put down where I don't belong
Woman, Child and man for sale
For ethical slavery is just an absurdity
Now can you be alive when you are dead
With these chains of hypocrisy
The same of my ancestry
Forever stained by blood in wich you trad.

Repeat chorus


THE KIDS

Now we're getting nasty.

Everybody's talking about the kids
The kids got funky soul and groove emotion
But if you don't give the kids the chance to use it
They're always morethan likely to abuse it
Everybody's talking about the kids
It's taking time for you to realise
Now hunger turns to anger in our eyes
I say the revolution will be televised
Yes it will, Gil
Everybody's talking about the kids
The kids needs space to get their heads in place
And every day this world we have to face
I just can't seem to find my proper place.

Kids get down
Stormy weather
Fifteen years of royal pleasure
Kids get down underground
Everybody dance to the funky sound.

Everybody's talking about the kids
It won't be long before we get our own
And every kid can truly feel at home
I told ya you should give the dog a bone
Everybody's talking about school
But I get more pleasure breakin' all the rules
Cos lesson one begins with "Life Is Cruel"
Well I guess I'm just an educated fool
Everybody's talking about the kids
Mom and Dad make efforts to excuse it
Government officials will confuse it
Members of the bench will try to prove it
You're going down sucker.

Everybody's talking about the kids now
Everybody's talking about the kids now
The kids got funky soul.

Kids get down
Stormy weather
Fifteen years of royal pleasure
Kids get down, celebrate
Now we're going to kick the thing we hate
Everybody's talking about high
But kids get high to satisfy
For reaching out to touch the sky
Is all I can identify, and you know why.

Kids get down
Stormy weather
Fifteen years of royal pleasure
Kids get down, celebrate
Now we're gonna kick the thing we hate
Kids get down, pressurized
To live the life that you devised
Kids get, celebrate
Life's too short to complicate.


MR MOON

Have you gone astray?
Or lost your way?
You should have seen me yesterday
Well I knew this kind of love
Was written in the stars
It"s only once or twice that you're in line with Mr Moon
Then it was you
Took me on your cloud
Give me flowers for my pain
But with some degree of certainty
My destiny
Seemed to slip away from me
Before I got to know your name.

Just give me a chance
I'll do what you want me to
Everybody wants to dance
So how come I can't dance with you
You really turn me on
You're the one thatmakes me smile
It's Mr Moon who plays in tune, Mr Moon who knows
And if it's Mr Moon who gives the sign then that's the sign that goes
I never know what to do
Till I'm there with you.

Did you lose your mind
For a day
You don't remember anyway
Like the waters of a dream
Encapsulate my mind
A place! haven't seen sits at the end of space and time
So lost in time
Than I think I'm blond
To perhance upon this circumstance is something of a miracle
So spiritual
It's verging on the physical
Searching for a love I cannot find.


SCAM

You say you fight to give us freedom
But often more than not this is abused
And the faces of a tired generation
have decided they are sick of being used
for the purpose of current declarations
Still the same, it'll never change until the end
Is to buy appreciation of the nation
To cover the mistakes you must defend
And you say there'll be a chance for evryone
to proptest against your calculated greed
But I can see into the future
Won't be long before the welfare
Send me letters telling me how much they need
And it's not been in my interest to please them
For the only interest rate to fall is mine
See a brand new generation in demanding
What you've been doing with out money all this time

Scam
People try living life at speed of light
Scam
Don't know why but I have to do the things I do
Scam
Give me ten, that's the move I give you five
Scam
People say it's the way to stay alive

So you see you have to be a schemer
If you wanna love the life you have to live
And it don't matter how much I earn
'Cos I always get my fingers burned
When the man gets down to his business
And I've been searching for a reason
Why I have to give it all up just when I want to get ahead
See I had to lose car, job, wife, dog and home
Debts and threats on the telephone
Maybe I should bust a move instead
Now we all know when we watch the television
Not confused between a puppet or conviction
Glued to the screen by a thousand shallow words of widsom
It ain't what it seems when it's a single sided system
Someone's got a hold on my living
So I'm gonna have to do the things that's fair
They got to justify for what I should be giving
Should I lie, should I steal or should I care
'Cos now I've got to scam


JOURNEY TO ARNHEMLAND

(Instrumental)


MORNING GLORY

All of my visions were untrue
Till I had a vision of you
And untimely end for all
But it was only then, only then that I saw
Saw the morning glory.

Can't you take me there
Can't you take me there
Away from soliloquies of sadness
And prophecies of pain
For us all to see.

I had a vision in my mind
I had a vision of peace
I had a vision of you.


SPACE COWBOY

Everything is good
And brown
I'm here again
With a sunshine smile upon my face
My friends
Are close at hand
And all my inhibitions
Have disappeared without a trace
I'm glad
That I found
Somebody who I can rely on.

This is the return
Of the space cowboy
Inter-planetary
Good vibe zone
At the speed of Cheeba
You and I go deeper
Maybe I'm gonna have to get high
Just to get by.

You know I've got that, I got that cheeba-cheeba kind of space cowboy vibe

Everything is good
And green
Say, I'm red again
And I don't suppose I'm coming down
I can see clearly
So high in the sky
A man with psychedelic picture frames
Of happiness to shade
His eyes
He's glad
That he found
Somebody who
He can rely on.

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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